Book Launch
THE RETURNING JOURNERY
Dalannah Gail Bowen
Thursday October 28, 8pm
Centre A, 2 W. Hastings
Join one of Vancouver’s premier vocalists Dalannah Gail Bowen and friends to celebrate the publication of a poetry collection based on the music and songs of her original show The Returning Journey. In 2007, Dalannah and Michael Creber presented a heart-breaking and soul-stirring performance of poetry and song to share her journey through abuse, addiction, homelessness, illness and return. She has now collected that material in book form and invites you to share in the continuing journey. Dalannah, a proud Downtown Eastside resident, revived her singing career in 2003 when she participated in the landmark In The Heart Of A City: The Downtown Eastside Community Play (Vancouver Moving Theatre/Carnegie). Her first CD Mamma’s Got the Blues, of which the title track was a finalist in the 2008 International Songwriting Awards, continues to receive international airplay. Along with readings of some of the poems, this is a great opportunity to hear great music with a great singer accompanied by great musicians, including Michael Creber on piano. (www.dalannahgailbowen.com) Settle in on a cold evening and listen to some fine words and music.

AHA MEDIA is very proud to help provide social media coverage of the 7th Annual Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival in Vancouver from Pre festival events starting Wed Oct 20, 2010 through to the Main Festival during Wed Oct 27 – Sun Nov 7, 2010

AHA MEDIA is about exploring mobile media production through New Media cameras. For a better quality version of video or for additional footage, please DM April Smith @AprilFilms on Twitter or Facebook.com/AprilFilms

AHA MEDIA is writing, producing and performing a Shadow Theatre Play at DTES CAN Art Space on Saturday Feb 27, 2010 at Lux Hotel on East Hastings in Vancouver Downtown Eastside

Inspired by the bright light illumination and our Large Store Front Windows of our temp DTES CAN Art space, we decided to do Shadow Play – Improv Theatre for all of our neighbors and friends on East Hastings street in Vancouver.

AHA MEDIA believes in positive community engagement and we wanted to help everyone remember us through visual and performing arts before we leave our temp DTES CAN Art Space as our last day is Sunday Feb 28, 2010

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Here are some photos and videos of us experimenting with a small lamp from within our DTES CAN Art space to using the Red and Blue Blinking Flashers of a parked Vancouver Police Car on East Hastings street

Below is a photo of Mike McNeeley of AHA MEDIA performing – He has studied with Terry Hunter and Savannah Walling of Vancouver Moving Theatre in a Shadow Theatre play

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Below is a photo of Alvin Clayton, Montana King and Mike McNeeley performing

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In this video, Richard Czaban laughs as he films Mike McNeeley and Montana King of AHA MEDIA doing Shadow Theatre Improv at DTES CAN Art space at Lux Hotel on Hastings and Columbia in Vancouver Downtown Eastside

This video was filmed by Richard Czaban of AHA MEDIA on a New Media camera. AHA MEDIA is about exploring mobile media production through New Media cameras. For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith @AprilFilms on Twitter or Facebook.com/AprilFilms

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In this video, Richard Czaban, Mike McNeeley and Alvin Clayton of AHA MEDIA do a Shadow Theatre play at DTES CAN Art space at Lux Hotel on Hastings and Columbia in Vancouver Downtown Eastside

This video was filmed by April Smith of AHA MEDIA on a New Media camera – Panasonic DMC-ZS3. AHA MEDIA is about exploring mobile media production through New Media cameras. For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith @AprilFilms on Twitter or Facebook.com/AprilFilms

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Below is a photo of Alvin Clayton of AHA MEDIA taking a bow while Montana King poses in the DTES CAN Art Space Window

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Below is a photo of Richard Czaban of AHA MEDIA and friends who were happy to see some of our Shadow Improv Theatre at DTES CAN Art Space

Below is a photo of Mike McNeeley, Richard Czaban, Alvin Clayton and Clyde Wright of AHA MEDIA all helping to write our new Shadow Theatre Play about “How some of us end up in the Vancouver Downtown Eastside”

We aim to perform our new Shadow Theatre play at the DTES CAN art space at Lux Hotel this Saturday Feb 27, 2010 for all of us to enjoy!

AHA MEDIA is pleased to invite you to our global online screening and world film premiere of our films both titled – 12 Days of Olympics” about life in the Vancouver Downtown Eastside during the 2010 Winter Olympics at Centre A – on this Saturday Feb 20, 2010 from 7pm to 9pm!

AHA MEDIA is so very honored to have this great opportunity to share our two Olympic films from Vancouver Downtown Eastside, Canada with people in Yokahama, Japan during Jun Oenoki’s Yokohama-Vancouver, a Skype Festivity and LiveStreaming with Nine Key Art Organization, alternative space and live party http://www.worldteaparty.com/jun-oenoki-skype-with-yokohama

During this time, our films will be shown on the large front windows so both the online and street community of Vancouver Downtown Eastside can share in this global screening and exchange!

Through our linked online community presence using Social Media Tools such as Twitter, Flickr, Ustream and Skype, both cities of Vancouver Downtown Eastside in Canada and Yokohama in Japan will be able to see, hear and share a 2 way interactive conversation about our community, media, art, activism and most importantly – our neighborhood residents!

Large projections play on the Centre A’s exterior windows. Video content includes work by various artists, live broadcast of performances, “skype” teas and the documentation of the World Tea Party in different contexts.

Presented in partnership with the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad. As a part of the City of Vancouver ‘s Olympic and Paralympic Public Art Program: Bright Light

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Jun Oenoki, Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Tokyo Keizai University and artist-in-residence at Centre A, will produce a teleconference from 7 – 9pm in Japanese and English, with Nine Key art organizations in Yokohama, Japan which will be streamed live to the Internet and a live party by Skype between Yokahama, Japan and Vancouver, Canada will allow both cities share a 2 way interactive dialogue about media, art and activism with each other!

April Smith of AHA MEDIA from Vancouver Downtown Eastside’s two films which are both entitled “The 12 Days of Olympics” gives viewers the two perspectives of how Vancouver Downtown Eastside residents and their lives are affected by this historic event of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Presenting 2 sides of this event allowed the residents to voice their opinions through a musical and film format to reach a world wide audience

April Smith is an avid new media videographer based in the Vancouver Downtown Eastside and is a co founder of AHA MEDIA.
Her interests are documention of daily life in the Vancouver Downtown Eastside area, highlighting the positive while bringing to light the injustices that occur in the neighborhood. April has filmed her observations, some subversive and situational, of the Vancouver Downtown Eastside over the last 2 years.

April is a cheerleader for Positive community building and outreach, through arts, music, and advocacy in the Vancouver Downtown Eastside.

Using social media, new media, mobile media, and now filmmaking, to get her people’s stories and voices across, April hopes to reach and communicate with a world wide audience by utilizing both online and offline ways for social change and justice

Centre A is pleased to present World Tea Party, animated by tea master and calligrapher Bryan Mulvihill (aka Trolley Bus). Truly one of Vancouver’s “living cultural treasures”, Mulvihill has produced a special edition of The World Tea Party for the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad.

Previous versions have been presented publics large and small in a wide range of contexts, including the Winnipeg Pan Am Games, the Venice Biennale, the National Gallery of Canada, the Hollywood Bowl and the Eiffel Tower.

The World Tea Party is based on the notion that humanity shares in the drinking of tea a spirit of generosity and understanding that both celebrates and transcends our cultural diversity. Tea is the most popular beverage in the world.

The World Tea Party is a “social sculpture” that involves the creative empowerment of the audience. The tea salon is a meeting place. Its interactive aspect makes it a suitable vehicle for a debate about the relationship between the Olympics and the Downtown Eastside.

Free Tea and Big Video

In the afternoon, tea is offered for free, both inside the gallery and at times on the street. From 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm, large projections play on the building’s exterior windows. Video content includes work by various artists, live broadcast of performances, “skype” teas and the documentation of the World Tea Party in different contexts.

AHA MEDIA gives Great Thanks to Hank Bull and Makiko Hara of Centre A along with Christoph Runne of Interurban Gallery for this wonderful opportunity for us to show our lives in the Downtown Eastside during the 2010 Winter Olympics